Shinzoku
by Flamefox2
Summary: Co-written by Flaming Eagle, who came up with the idea. Meta Knight had always struggled with his inner emotions. Nightmare had always regretted not loving him. Is it possible that Nightmare can love, and that Meta Knight can become Nightmare's son? Nightmare is willing to try, and he won't stop until he knows for sure...


The world was green.

At least, the little bit of the world that he could see was green, the colors tainted by the strange gelatinous substance that filled his glass prison. A large tube ran down his throat and pumped sour, artificial air into his lungs. Small, thin cables spread out of his head and traveled down through the cylindrical glass container he was floating in. He gazed out of the emerald life-giving fluids that preserved his only recently completed form, while the wires ruthlessly pumped knowledge and facts into his brain.

He was a demon beast.

He was meant to serve Nightmare.

Who exactly Nightmare was, he did not know. He knew more and more things every second, but that single piece of knowledge was kept from him.

There were voices now, ringing through the glass.

One, belonging to a strange creature who he somehow knew was a kind of scientist, was rather high-pitched, and hurt his sensitive ears. He found himself wanting to rip some type of body part called the "vocal cords" out of this creature. The other voice was deep and commanding. He had a feeling that he should be afraid of this immense being that practically radiated power, but found himself curious instead.

_It's Nightmare_, his mind told him. Excited, he leaned as far forward as his weak body would allow. He was determined to catch a glimpse of his master, of the one whom he would serve with his life.

The figure reached out a long, skeletal hand. There was little flesh on the appendage, but the prospect of physical contact made him feel giddy. Sadly, the hand could not reach past the glass that he was trapped in.

"Release him," the voice boomed.

The green liquid drained away slowly, leaving thick, greasy residue on the containers walls. Without the fluid to float on, he could only rest at the container's bottom. He could feel a numbness that his mind recognised as cold seep into his bones. He gasped as his lungs took their first breaths of natural air, the sweetness a stark contrast to the fake oxygen his body had been fed before. Then the glass retracted up into the ceiling with a quiet, long _hiiiiss_sss. Steam filled the room as the machine that had been his home dismantled itself. He fell forward, unable to support his own weight any longer.

A pair of strong hands caught him, and pulled him close to a large and thickly robed chest.

"You are Meta Knightmare, prince of the demons," a voice proclaimed proudly.

_Nightmare,_ he thought, as he drifted into unconsciousness. _Master._

He curled up in the firm, safe hold of his king.

_Daddy._

* * *

Meta Knight sprang up in bed, sweating profusely. His chest heaved as his lungs tried to supply his aching body with oxygen, the same type of air that he had been breathing since his first day out of the experimental beaker in which he had been created.

_Father._

The word forced its way to the front of his mind, a quiet voice speaking of a deep longing for happier, simpler times. It called out, a forbidden desire for things that could not be had, a wish that could not be fulfilled.

Meta shoved the feelings back into his subconscious.

_No. _He ordered the traitorous thought away. _None of that nonsense_.

He laid back down, and concentrated on getting back to sleep. However, his mind was still swirling with strange ideas inspired by the dream, strange things that he could not bring himself to allow to fully form. But as he finally drifted off once more, the thought brought itself forword again, still trying to be heard and recognized.

_Father..._

* * *

Meta Knight had had a nightmare. The picture of the knight floated around the crystal ball almost lazily, as a dark figure watched the blue knight.

The skeletal being shifted slightly in annoyance as he watched his son return to the land of dreams. Of course he'd had a nightmare. Meta Knight was his son, as they shared blood. When you were part of the Nightmare blood line, dreams, both good and bad, came often.

He felt strongly for Meta Knight in a fatherly manner, and deep down, he knew that his son felt similarly towards him. Not that Meta Knight would admit it, but still.

The skeletal figure heaved a heavy sigh as he raised his hand to rub the bridge of his nose. Why couldn't things be simpler? Why hadn't Meta Knight stayed with Nightmare Enterprises? He'd given him everything he'd ever wanted, but it hadn't been enough. Why?

Nightmare had never understood children, especially his son. He still watched over him, though, watched as he grew. Despite his anger at Meta Knight for betraying him, he felt pride fill him. His boy had managed to strike out on his own, and make a good home for himself with absolutely no help or approval from him. If only he could be the boy's father figure, and get a second chance at being a good parent. Maybe things would have ended differently if he'd shown a little more affection towards his son.

But he could never be the loving father that Meta Knight so often fantasized in his dreams. He could never love anyone or anything but his craving for destruction and his ambition. Still, within the depths of his cold, black heart-admittedly not as cold and black as it should have been-he still felt a surge of longing for his son. He had panicked when he had ended up missing, and was furious when he found where exactly he had gone. He was horrified mostly, however, at the prospect that Meta Knight would never forgive him for his mistakes.

If only he had a second chance to prove himself...


End file.
